Contemporary “Living-Garden House” in Poland Unveiling Surprising Design Features

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KWK Promes completed the design of the Living-Garden House, a contemporary residence in Katowice, Poland. One of the main requirments of the brief was a high level of privacy, which is why “the ground floor was set parallel to the road for the building to isolate the backyard garden from the road, whereas the first floor was shifted at 90 degrees to overhang and penetrate the garden. The building has thus acquired two faces. Street-side, it is enclosed, inaccessible, raising the comfort of its residents, guaranteeing maximum intimacy. In turn, garden-side, it is full of glazed surfaces overlooking the environment.” The shape and materials used in the construction are said to be reminiscent of the Silesian worker settlements in the area, defined by masonry walls and asphalt-lined gable roofs.

The highlight of the design is a living-garden, ingeniously created under the ledge: “On warm days, after removing the glass partitions, indoor space merges with the garden, the flooring transforms into grass. This special spot is treated with different materials that emphasize integration with nature. Flooring becomes reminiscent of grass, and external glass partitions, provided by Skyframe, may entirely be removed and hidden in a wall niche.” While the social areas are located below, merging with the surrounding natural elements, the private zones are accommodated on the second level and offer a large degree of intimacy. [Photos by Jakub Certowicz & Olo Studio]